Swords of Astagar: A Campaign Frame
Fog lay heavy on the streets of Astagar muffling sound¸ obscuring sight and dulling the ever-present stink of rotting garbage. Where the denizens of other cities would remain indoors on such a night¸ Astagar's alleys and secret markets bustled with activity. In the shadowed crowds¸ a lone figure made its purposeful way across the unlit square that held the Market of Earthly Delights¸ down Murderer's Alley (whose reputation was greatly exaggerated) to a particular worm-eaten door¸ where it knocked twice¸ paused¸ then knocked twice more with the flat of its hand¸ whereupon the door opened¸ spilling warm yellow light into the alley. "A most healthful evening to you¸ Calomite¸" said the fat¸ scar-covered man pointing a crossbow at Yana when she stepped inside.
"Candar¸ don't be a fool¸" Yana said¸ smiling and slinging her cloak onto a red-velvet divan¸ revealing a pair of hand axes on her belt and lush curves under a mail tunic. "I came here because I know you need my services. Do you need my help with the Wharf Rats or not?"
"So it's like that¸ is it." Candar's eyes narrowed in thought. After a moment¸ finally returning Yana's smile¸ he said "Yes¸ I may know of an... opportunity for you."
Swords of Astagar is a campaign frame for Mortal Coil written by Justin Bow. Set in a dark world of swords and sorcery¸ Swords of Astagar shows you how to run Mortal Coil in a setting inspired by Lieber and Howard.
Swords of Astagar is a fully sketched out setting in the form of a detailed theme document¸ with all of the world set-up choices written out in detail. The frame is customizable by your game group. You choose a tone¸ and pick the magic level that is appropriate for your game.
Campaign frames are great ways to do a quick setup for Mortal Coil¸ and are ideal for playing a pick-up game or convention game. If your players really like the setting¸ the frame can be used for a longer term game as well. A campaign frame is also useful as a how-to on setting up a unique theme document of your own.